Weighty issue: is weight the cause of your health problems?

Being overweight or obese can have a serious impact on health and carrying extra fat leads to serious health problems such as heart disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, muscle and bone disorders like osteoarthritis, and some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon). These conditions cause premature death and substantial disability.

What is not widely known is that the risk of health problems starts when someone is only very slightly overweight, and that the likelihood of problems increases as someone gains more and more weight. Many of these health conditions cause long-term suffering for individuals and families. These can increase health related costs as well.

Day-to-day problems related to excess weight include:

• Breathlessness

• Increased Sweating

• Snoring

• Difficulty doing physical activity often feeling very tired

• Joint and Back pain

• Low confidence and self-esteem

• Feeling isolated or alone

Serious health conditions

Living with obesity can also increase your risk of developing many potentially serious health conditions, including:

• Type 2 Diabetes

• High blood pressure

• High cholesterol that can lead to heart and brain attacks

• Asthma

• several types of Cancer such as bowel cancer, breast cancer and womb cancer

• Acid-reflux disease

• Gallstones

• Reduced fertility

• Osteoarthritis of joints

• Sleep problems

• Liver disease & Kidney disease

• Pregnancy problems such as Gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia

Excess weight can reduce life expectancy by an average of 3 to 10 years, depending on how severe it is.

The good news is that overweight and obesity are largely preventable. The key to success is to find the appropriate medical guidance. Now we can succeed against weight problems by diet, exercise, medicines and surgery. Discuss with us your goals and we will design a plan for you.